Government promises facilities for fruit exporters

Bilal Basharat from Kabul
Minister for Commerce and Industries Dr Muhammad Amin Farhang said yesterday that the government would provide better facilities to fruit exporters. ,

Naming grapes, melon, watermelon, apple, apricots and pomegranate as the main fresh-fruit exports of the country, the minister said officials from the United States and European and Asian countries had promised to help Afghanistan in booting its exports of fresh fruits.

Speaking at a news conference, Farhang said the ministry had recently signed a contract with the GTZ and they will cooperate in international standard packing of fresh-fruits, destined for other countries.

The Afghan Red Crescent Society (ARCS) had withdrawn the two percent tax it was receiving from the ministry on its fruit exports, said Farhang. Besides, some European countries, the United States and India had also agreed to abolish taxes on Afghanistan's fruit exports.

Suliman Fatimi, head of the Afghanistan Exports Promotion Agency, told the press conference that they had provided more facilities to exporters in the past.

Reckoning his agency's exporters-friendly steps, Fatimi said traders used to send their goods out of the country in at least four days; however, they could do so only in one day now.